Postmaster General John E. Potter to Retire

WASHINGTON, DC—Oct. 25, 2010—After nearly 10 years as U.S. Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service, John E. Potter announced that he will retire on Dec. 3, after 32 years of service. The Governors of the Postal Service named Patrick R. Donahoe, currently Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Potter.

A New York City native, Potter is credited with modernizing management, introducing long-term, strategic thinking necessary in a complex and changing marketplace, and transforming the Postal Service into a service-driven customer-focused and cost-sensitive organization.

Potter’s accomplishments include:

• Eliminating more than $20 billion in costs during the last 10 years, with cumulative savings of more than $50 billion.

• Building a leaner, more flexible workforce and increasing efficiency and productivity through technology and the expansion of automation in mail processing and delivery.

• Reducing career employment from 787,000 positions in 2001 to about 584,000 today through attrition, using strong and focused management practices.

• Leading the Postal Service and the nation through the anthrax terrorist attack following 9/11.

• Creating a 10-year action plan that is a blueprint for necessary operational, legislative and regulatory changes to the current business model to ensure a viable Postal Service for decades to come.

Potter expressed his pride in the performance of the men and women of the Postal Service, saying its accomplishments resulted from the thousands of employees who dedicated themselves to meeting customer needs in a rapidly changing technological and communications environment.

“I fully appreciate their support in maintaining the tradition of trust that dates back to Benjamin Franklin and the founding of our nation,” Potter said. “It is our people that define our organization and it is their dedication and sense of purpose that drives our business.”

Louis J. Giuliano, Board of Governors chair, noted Potter’s many accomplishments in thanking the Postmaster General for his years of service.

The Amherts, MA Post Office just took over delivering mail from the Hadley, MA post office. We now get our mail 5-6 hours later. This is not acceptable. I calld the Amherst P.O and it rang 1121 times and nobody answered. You wonder why the Post Office is losing business????????